Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela

The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela in northern Ethiopia are eleven churches carved directly out of the ground. Since each building is cut downward from the bedrock, its roof is simply the original rock surface, which raises unusual problems of weathering and water protection. Since 2008, several of the churches have been covered by large temporary shelters.

Origins

Tradition credits King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty (reigned c. 1181-1221) with the project, which is said to have taken 24 years, and local tradition dates the founding of Lalibela to 1137. Scholars think the churches more likely developed through several phases of construction and alteration.

How they were made

Builders excavated scoriaceous basalt with hammers and chisels, working from the top down. Of the eleven churches, four are free-standing monoliths and seven share a wall with the surrounding rock. They form a northern group of five, a southern group of five, and the separate church of Biete Giorgis.

Roofs and shelters

Because the churches are carved rather than built, their tops have no separate waterproof covering. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. In 2008, four temporary shelters funded by the European Union were erected over five of the churches, intended to protect them until a long-term solution was chosen. The shelters have remained far longer than planned, and they are now considered a danger in themselves, including a risk of collapse under their own weight. Ethiopia's heritage authority (ARCCH) has said they must be removed, but no definitive plan for removal, or for protecting the churches afterwards, had been agreed.

Significance

At Lalibela the roof is part of the monument itself, so conservators must protect a rock surface rather than renew a separate covering, without hiding the rock or overloading the site.